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Sunday, September 16, 2012

`An Air of Delicacy Is Also Manifest'

Six
men made a big noise around a wrought-iron bench in front of the Cabildo on
Jackson Square in New Orleans. Seated were a white-haired man wearing a suit
jacket and homburg, and playing a shiny soprano saxophone, and two younger men
playing coronet and trombone. Standing behind them were a sousaphonist, a tall
fellow on snare drum and another playing the bass drum and working the cymbal
with a screwdriver. They played “Big Chief” and “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue,”
and all drank beer from the can. The New
Orleans City Guide published by the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works
Progress Administration (1938; rev. ed., 1952) says of the Cabildo:

"The
solid repose of this edifice, originally known as the `Casa Curial,’ or
courthouse, emanates from the graceful repetition of massive arches that make
up its façade. Yet an air of delicacy is also manifest.”

A
few blocks away on Rampart Street, across from Armstrong Park, we stopped in
front of a laundromat to consult a map. On the wall next to the entrance was a plaque
honoring Cosimo Matassa, who produced records for Fats Domino, Little Richard,
Ray Charles and Smiley Lewis. The laundry formerly housedhis J&M Recording Studio. A chalkboard in front of a bar
down the block assured us: “Get a good start to your day. Have a cocktail.” In its
chapter on music, the New Orleans
City Guide informs us:

“Playing
in front of the theaters, saloons, and brothels of the city, these bands
regaled the public with their informal `ear’ music. One of the earliest of
these organizations, the `Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band,’ was composed of such colorful
individuals as Stalebread Charley, Family Haircut, Warm Gravy, Cajun, Whisky,
Monk, and Seven Colors.”